How does blood sugar impact women's health? From menstrual cycles to menopause, glucose fluctuations play a crucial role. CGMs provide real-time insights to help women optimise their well-being.

Key takeaways:

• Hormonal shifts affect glucose levels as menstrual cycles, pregnancy, and menopause influence insulin sensitivity.
• CGMs support fertility and pregnancy by helping women manage PCOS and reduce pregnancy-related risks.
• Menopause increases insulin resistance, but CGMs provide insights to support better health choices.

Introduction

Women’s bodies change over their lifetime; they go from pre-puberty to adolescence, from pre-fertility to fertility, then peri-menopause to post-fertility menopause all the way into senescence. Every month the female body changes due to the monthly circadian rhythm, due to the rise and fall of female sex hormones. If a woman fails to get pregnant each month, the cycle begins anew. 

The hormonal shifts in a woman’s life

The monthly cycle, the three trimesters of pregnancy and subsequent delivery, breastfeeding,  and peri-menopause are all driven by a hormonal dance that is complex and ever-changing, dictated by the biological and reproductive needs of the species. Amazing isn’t it—how little the average woman knows about this complex dance, how often she feels that it fails her, and how much modern life can impact this delicate balance?

The modern woman’s health burden

We know women are feeling the pressures of a busy life. Never before have we had more women in the workplace, and at the same time they continue to take on the lion’s share of child-rearing and the domestic load as well. Women’s stress can be seen broadly by their increased alcohol usage outweighing that of men’s. In a 2023 American Psychological Association survey, it was shown that women continued to report higher stress levels than their male counterparts. 

Women are also touted as key players in their families health. Women commonly drive food and health decision-making within the family unit, and this can have wider implications for extended families. So there is a saying... Help one woman be healthy, and you will positively impact another 5.

The role of Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) in women’s health

Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGMs) offer real-time insights into blood sugar fluctuations, helping women better understand a key aspect of their hormonal health. Initially designed for managing type 1 diabetes, CGMs are now being used beyond diabetes care to support behaviour change and improve metabolic health.

• Beyond diabetes management: Originally for type 1 diabetes, CGMs are now being used in broader health applications, including hormonal and metabolic tracking.
• Lifestyle and glucose balance: CGMs help women see how stress, sleep, exercise, and nutrition impact blood sugar, revealing patterns that affect overall health.
• Interconnected health systems: Instead of viewing hormonal health, metabolism, and lifestyle separately, CGMs show how these factors influence each other, empowering women to make informed choices.

As CGMs gain wider recognition, their role in women’s health continues to evolve, offering valuable insights for managing hormonal and metabolic changes.

Blood sugar and hormonal fluctuations

Women experience unique hormonal shifts throughout their lives—across menstrual cycles, pregnancy, breastfeeding, and peri-menopause/menopause. These biological rhythms directly influence blood sugar levels. Oestrogen, testosterone, and progesterone impact insulin sensitivity and thyroid function, meaning that blood sugar responses can vary significantly depending on the phase of the cycle.

Hormones, insulin resistance, and CGM insights

For instance, during the luteal phase (post-ovulation), a progesterone imbalance or an oestrogen excess can increase insulin resistance, leading to higher glucose levels and more pronounced cravings. A CGM helps women identify their unique patterns, allowing for better dietary, exercise, and lifestyle choices tailored to their hormonal landscape and their bodies unique needs. 

Curious about how blood sugar impacts your hormones? Explore the Hormone Health Program to learn how a CGM can support hormonal balance and overall well-being.

PCOS and blood sugar regulation

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a common condition affecting up to 10% of women, is often characterised by insulin resistance. By using a CGM, women with PCOS can pinpoint how different foods, stress levels, and sleep patterns affect their blood sugar, empowering them to make data-driven adjustments to improve insulin sensitivity and reduce symptoms such as irregular cycles, weight gain, fatigue, fertility, and inflammation.

CGM in fertility and pregnancy

Blood sugar regulation plays a critical role in fertility. Both high and low glucose levels are associated with oxidative stress and can impair ovulation. Altered fertility is a common factor in women and menstruating people with PCOS. This impairment of fertility is driven by insulin resistance, and using a CGM offers the person a way to gather personalised insights into their lifestyle choices, helping them navigate changes that can support their glucose stabilisation and therefore change their reproductive and metabolic health. 

CGMs enable women to track and optimise their glucose stability, potentially enhancing fertility outcomes by reducing inflammation and supporting hormonal balance.

During pregnancy, maintaining stable blood sugar is critical for both maternal and fetal health. Gestational diabetes affects about 10% of pregnancies and increases the risk of complications such as preeclampsia, shoulder dystocia, hypoglycemia in the newborn and high birth weight. A CGM gives the woman an opportunity to learn what works for her body; it can help her see, in real time, the results of any lifestyle changes she makes and can lead to increased confidence in her interventions at a sensitive time in her life and ultimately reduce the risk of serious harm to her unborn child. 

Menopause and metabolic health

As women approach menopause, oestrogen, testosterone, and progesterone decline, often leading to increased insulin resistance and higher risks of metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes and cardio-vascular disease. A CGM can help women understand how their metabolism shifts over time and adopt strategies like strength training, personalised exercise programs, weight management interventions, or targeted nutrition to maintain metabolic flexibility.

By offering personalised insulins, CGMs empower women to take proactive control of their health, optimising hormonal balance, fertility, and longevity. Whether addressing PCOS, pregnancy, gestational diabetes, or menopause, CGM technology is a valuable tool in supporting women to learn about their changing hormonal landscape. 

Vively is a metabolic health app that can help women undergoing the menopause transition improve their quality of life. The Vively app integrates with continuous glucose monitors (CGM) to help women understand how their lifestyle is impacting their blood sugar levels. This, combined with in-app education and support can help women improve their symptoms. Chat to your doctor about whether Vively may suit you.

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Research

1. https://findanexpert.unimelb.edu.au/news/47524-yet-again--the-census-shows-women-are-doing-more-housework.-now-is-the-time-to-invest-in-interventions

2. https://www.apa.org/topics/stress/women-stress
3. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7164990/#:~:text=Real%2Dtime%20CGM%20captures%20nutritional,how%20CGM%20influences%20their%20behavior.
4. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9669773/
5. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41746-023-00884-x#:~:text=Glucose%20levels%20were%20lowest%20during,and%20dropped%20sharply%20during%20menstruation.
6. https://rbej.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1477-7827-10-49
7. https://www.diabetesvic.org.au/continuous-glucose-monitoring-through-pregnancy/#:~:text=For%20women%20with%20type%201%20diabetes%2C%20CGM%20is%20particularly%20beneficial,and%20exercise%20or%20using%20insulin.
8. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9606939/#:~:text=Menopause%20significantly%20increases%20the%20risk,and%20metabolic%20syndrome%20(MetS).